New Hotels on the Block
View from the refurbished Copthorne Hotel Wellington, Oriental Bay.
2007 was a busy one for Wellington’s hotel sector. Capacity grew, with a number of new and refurbished hotels adding to the mix.
Wellington’s latest addition is the self-rated 4 Star hotel Quality Hotel Wellington, which opened on upper Cuba Street in early November. The 62 room hotel sits side by side with the 114 room, 3 Star, Comfort Hotel Wellington. It also has conference facilities for up to 220 guests.
Quality Hotel Wellington’s new general manager, Kay Nelson, said the intent is to create a great venue that adds to the vitality of the Cuba Street experience.
“We want the Hotel to play a strong role in maintaining Cuba Street’s, and Wellington’s tourism experience. Cuba Street has many great experiences. We wanted to add some more. The more we ‘light up’ our area, the more people will want to spend their time here”.
Wellington has also welcomed back a newly refurbished Copthorne Hotel Wellington, Oriental Bay, which was home to David Beckham and the LA Galaxy during their December visit. There are also several hotel developments in the pipeline, such as the Watermark luxury apartment and hotel complex, due to open mid 2010.
“The increase in hotel developments is a sign of confidence in Wellington’s tourism industry,” says Positively Wellington Tourism CEO Tim Cosar. “An increase in capacity has also brought about more competition in the sector.”
“Positively Wellington Tourism is committed to being on top of our game, developing targeted and relevant marketing programmes. Wellington has seen strong growth, particularly in the domestic visitor market. We’re putting in the work, to make sure that growth continues.”
